Figures released under a Freedom of Information request show Orkney Islands Council (OIC) has been spending roughly £25,000 a year in the most recent two years on sending marine and harbours staff to conferences and industry events. Over five years, more than £85,000 has been recorded for flights, ferries, accommodation and expenses linked to cruise and renewables gatherings.
High-cost trips and claimed benefits
The most expensive single trip detailed in the FOI return was a 2025 visit to the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Miami, which cost in excess of £7,500 for two staff. The council’s cruise liner activity generated £5.9 million for Orkney in 2024/25, and OIC has told requesters that attending conferences helps staff "maintain direct relationships with industry contacts" and promotes the islands as a destination.
“the critical components for the magical engine”
The words above were used by Seatrade Cruise Global organisers to describe the event, which they said brought together more than 600 exhibitors from over 128 countries.
Year-by-year spending
The FOI response gives an itemised breakdown of costs across five financial years for flights, ferries, accommodation and smaller expense claims. OIC notes it cannot provide expense claims for three events because the staff who attended are no longer employed by the authority.
- 2021/22 — three events; £1,500 (travel/accommodation) and £50 (meals/other).
- 2022/23 — eight events; £15,660 and £1,700.
- 2023/24 — eight events; £15,400 and £1,300.
- 2024/25 — eleven events; £21,600 and £2,700.
- 2025/26 — twelve events; £24,300 and £800.
| Financial year | Travel/accommodation (£) | Meals/other (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 1,500 | 50 |
| 2022/23 | 15,660 | 1,700 |
| 2023/24 | 15,400 | 1,300 |
| 2024/25 | 21,600 | 2,700 |
| 2025/26 | 24,300 | 800 |
Context and local implications
Council officers have argued these visits support commercial relationships and destination promotion. The scale of cruise-related income for Orkney — almost £6 million in 2024/25 — is cited as a key reason for continued engagement with international industry events.
That said, the FOI response highlights variability in delegation sizes and costs. For example, two staff attending Seatrade in 2024 cost around £4,800 plus £590 in expenses, while a single attendee at the same event this April cost about £1,800 plus £400 in claims. The 2025 Miami trip remained the largest single outlay recorded.
Transparency advocates may point to the inability of OIC to provide expense claims for three events because the staff who attended have left as an area requiring clearer record-keeping. For residents and ratepayers, the figures raise questions about how best to balance travel and attendance at overseas events with scrutiny over public spending.
The FOI documents do not include qualitative assessments of the outcomes of each conference attendance beyond the council's general rationale that such trips maintain industry links and promote Orkney. Further enquiries would be needed to identify direct return-on-investment from individual events.
As Orkney continues to steward marine, cruise and renewable interests, the cost and scale of international engagement will likely remain a subject of local interest and scrutiny.
